Take A Hint
by panickingathogwarts
Summary: Lucy Heartfilia is a senior in college, best friends with a brunette boozer and a scarlet-haired beauty. When her novel gets picked up by Fairy Tail publishing, Erza decides it's a cause for celebration. When they go out, they attract attention from someone very special: Lucy's new editor. Follow Lucy and her friends as she joins the Fairy Tail family.
1. Chapter 1

As soon as I got back to my dorm I dropped my bag on my desk and booted up my laptop. As I waited for it to load, I checked my phone to see if any of my friends had texted me. My screensaver stared up at me announcing the lack of mail.

The sound of my laptop finally coming to life brings my attention back to my main focus. I type in my password and immediately log onto my email, scanning through the multitude of spam emails until I find the one that makes my heart jump.

I click on it and tap my foot as I read the short email. The words on the screen make me squeal with joy and jump up from my seat.

' _Miss Lucy Heartfilia,_

 _After close analysis of your entry, and numerous editors reading it thoroughly, we are glad to say that we would love to publish your novel. Please contact Mr. Dreyar immediately to set an appointment to draw up a contract and assign you to a permanent editor._

 _Thank you for your time,_

 _Mavis Vermillion'_

I re-read the email five more times before my phone rings. A nightcore song blares from the small speakers as I pick it up and answer the call without looking away from the computer.

"Hello?" I say, not having looked at the caller.

"Lucy, what's up?" Erza Scarlet asks as her voice drifts through my phone.

"Well, I just got some really exciting news!" I say, my voice's pitch skyrocketing.

"You finally got a boyfriend?!" a voice in the background calls. I roll my eyes and respond with a sour

"No, Cana, I didn't get a boyfriend. It's something even better!" I say with a small squeal accenting my words.

"You got laid?!" Her incredulous voice shouts, it's obvious she's taken Erza's phone at this point based on the volume of her words. I hear a gasp from Erza as she yanks the phone away from Cana.

"That is not an appropriate question, Cana!" a short pause. "But, did you?" I roll my eyes again before saying

"No. But my novel was picked up by a publishing company! They want to draw up a contract with me!" my voice getting progressively louder.

"Good job Lucy! That's an amazing accomplishment for a senior in college! I'm so proud!" Erza says. The warmth in my chest grows, happiness filling me even more.

"We have to celebrate! The Blue Pegasus frat is having a party tonight. Let's hit it." Cana calls. Erza hums in agreement.

"Um, I hate to be the party pooper for my own party, but Cana you aren't supposed to be around booze right now. Remember what GIldarts said?"

"I'm twenty-one, for God's sake. I'm allowed to drink as much as I want as long as I don't try to operate heavy machinery!" She exclaims. I sweatdrop and say

"Yeah, but Gildarts is campus security, and if he even catches wind that you're at a party, not only will he shut it down, he'll put you back on probation." Cana groans, but folds.

"Fine, you guys will have to go without me tonight. But tomorrow you'll take us out to dinner, Ms. Author." She laughs.

"Deal."

"So, Lucy, when do you want to head over?" Erza asks, a quiet shuffling in the background as she moves to look in her closet. I look at my own wardrobe and say

"Wanna meet in the quad in twenty minutes?"

"See you there." She ends the call and I start to work. I open the doors to my closet and survey my options.

After close examination, I choose a pair of black tights to go under a short black dress. As I pull on the dress I realize that it's much shorter than I originally thought, and that it shows off quite a bit more cleavage than I anticipated. I shrug to myself as I search for shoes. I opt for a pair of open toe, heeled boots. I walk into the bathroom and run a brush through my hair, then put on a thin line of eyeliner along with some mascara. I nod to myself and walk back out to grab my phone.

I notice the number of the publishing company at the bottom of my email, and I type the numbers into my phone. Butterflies go crazy in my stomach as the phone rings, and finally someone picks up.

"Hello, Fairy Tail publishing, Mirajane on the phone. How can I help you?" A bright, kind voice says.

"Hello. My name's Lucy Heartfilia and I've called to set an appointment with Mr. Dreyar." I say, recalling the name of the man I had originally met with to introduce my novel.

"Ms. Lucy! I've been expecting your call. How is tomorrow evening at 6 for you?" She asks. I nod for a moment until I blush, realizing she can't see me.

"That sound perfect." I say, excitement bubbling over in my voice. A tinkling laugh comes over the line as Mirajane says

"Alright Ms. Lucy. We'll see you then." The line goes dead, but I'm too over the moon to notice. I squeal and wrap my arms around myself while I dance around. I check the clock and see that I have five minutes to meet Erza in the quad. I grab my dorm key and leave a short note for my roommate, knowing that Lissana would worry if I didn't tell her where I was going. I also invited her out to dinner tomorrow, knowing I might not see her before then.

I rush out of the room and down to the quad. It only takes me a moment to spot the bright spot of red hair standing next to a tree. As I get closer I take in Erza's outfit.

She's wearing black skinny jeans with a black corset-esque top, which shows off a bit of her flat stomach and her chest. Her strapped heel boots catch my attention as I reach her. I give her a quick hug before asking

"Hey, aren't those mine?" I point to the shoes. Erza looks at me with an apologetic smile.

"Maybe." She says with a sweet smile. I roll my eyes playfully and link arms with her.

"Ready to have some fun?" I ask as we walk. Erza nods and we continue on in silence. When we reach the frat house, the party is already in full swing. Which makes sense as it's already 9:30 on a friday. We walk up the crowded steps and straight through the open front door. We're immediately swept up in the craziness, and almost get separated. We unlink arms and agree to meet up outside if we get lost.

We stop and talk to a few people we recognize for a while before the hosts of the party bear down on us.

"Lookie here. It's Erza and Lucy." one of them says as they drape their arms across our shoulders.

"Hey guys. How's it going?" Erza asks politely. They all three shrug and Hibike says

"Pretty good. But what are you two doing here. I thought parties weren't your thing."

"Have we managed to convince you otherwise?" Ren says, his voice flirtatious. I shrug his arm off and say

"Nope, we just have a reason to celebrate." Erza follows suit and steps a bit closer to me.

"We're just here to listen to some music and socialize. No need to disappoint your other guests." She says as she casts a glance at a couple of cute girls that just entered. Eve looks at the girls and politely excuses himself to go greet them.

Hibike wraps his arm around my waist and turns me to walk towards the drink table. "See anything you like?" he asks, glint in his eyes. I notice Erza following behind us with Ren at her side from the corner of my eye.

"I'm good. But thanks for the offer." I say, trying to escape his grasp. A practiced pout adorns his face as he says in a fake whine

"Aren't you going to participate in any of the party activities?" I see Erza trying to back out of her conversation with Ren and a devious idea comes into my head.

"Why, of course. Me and Erza would just love to do some Karaoke." I say, looking over at the machine that a tall, black-haired boy was currently scatting into. His voice made me flinch a little bit, but I kept my smile as I turned towards Erza. She furrows her brow but nods, going along.

"I've always wanted to sing in front of a group of drunk college students." She mutters. Hibike lights up and leads us over to the machine. As soon as the black-haired guy is done, he hands me and Erza some mics.

"Song selection is connected to the internet, so pick any song you want. I mean, you can even dedicate it to someone if you want." He says with a wink. I roll my eyes as he walks away and whisper to Erza

"Take a hint, you lead." She nods as a serious look dawns her face.

"I shall be the greatest performer here." She says. I chuckle and select the song. The beat starts and I see Hibike, Ren, Eve, and a group of other people watching us. Most of them have either beer or soda in their hands, so I'm not too surprised.

The moment for Erza to start singing comes and she's silent. I look and see her frozen in front of everyone. I sigh and wait for the beat to repeat.

"Why am I always hit on by the boys I never like? I can always see them coming from the left and from the right." I sing, hoping Erza will take the cue.

She does, and from that moment on we go through the song smoothly. We do indeed put on a show, much to the crowd's enjoyment. We circle around Hibike and Ren while singing certain parts of it, and catch Eve laughing at their expressions.

After the song ends, I'm laughing so hard I lean a bit on Erza. The two boys walk up to us with sheepish grins. We simply smile at them and give a nod of recognition.

"Alright, I think that's more than enough party for me tonight." Erza says. I nod with a small laugh at her still slightly blue face. We step outside and Erza wraps one arm around my shoulder.

"I really am proud of you. You're an amazing writer, and soon more people will know." I smile brightly, but then say

"Do you think Cana will be pissed that we went to a party without her and didn't bring her any booze?"

"I'm so not risking Gildarts finding out." Erza says.

I stand from the semi-comfortable chairs in the waiting room as Mirajane calls my name. Her bright smile and shockingly white hair hair fit her voice, and remind me of my roommate. I smile at her as she ushers me into the meeting room.

Laxus Dreyar sits behind his desk, a short bluenette standing beside it. He stands to shake my hand and starts speaking.

"Hello Ms. Heartfillia. This is Levy McGarden, your future editor. I'm sure you two will love working together. Now, about your contract-"

"You're the girl from the party!" The bluenette, Levy, shouts. I look to see her pointing at me with wide eyes and a smile on her face. Laxus looks at her in confusion.

"What party?" He asks. I feel a blush creeping up my neck and onto my cheeks.

"This girl and her friend were at this college party my boyfriend dragged me to last night!

They went up and sang right after he did! They totally told off the hosts that kept flirting with everyone!" She cries. Laxus looks to me with a raised brow.

"Impressive, Ms. Heartfilia. I had no idea you were also a singer. Maybe you and your friend could join Mirajane at the weekend karaoke parties."

Levy laughs and casts me an amazingly bright smile.

I can tell that I'm really gonna love working here.


	2. Chapter 2

"Lu-Lu, do you think this dress looks okay?" Lissana asks, her hands on her hips as she awaits my response. I look up from my laptop screen and take in her cute sweater and skirt ensemble. I put my finger to my chin and pucker my lips.

"Hmmmmm, maybe you should put some tights so that Mirajane doesn't murder me for letting her little sister go out with that much leg showing." A light blush graces Lissana's cheeks as she goes to her closet drawers and starts rummaging for some tights. I turn back to my laptop and stare at the blinking line, awaiting whatever words I decide to type next. I reach over and pick up my coffee mug without looking away, taking a slow sip.

"So," Lissana starts as she opens up another drawer, "how's the sequel coming? Need any inspiration?" she dramatically pulls a bright pink boa out of the drawer and drapes it around her shoulders. She strikes a ridiculous pose against the closet wall, back straight and one arm signing the boa. I swivel in my chair and start laughing so hard tears come out of my eyes and stream down my cheeks. Lissana chuckles as she puts the boa back in the drawer and heads over to my closet.

"I'm gonna steal your opaque black ones, I can't find mine." She calls as she pushes piles of used-to-be-folded clothes out of the way. I turn back to my laptop and nod my head as I stare at my mostly blank screen. After a minute or two of ruffling, Lissana stands up with the tights clutched in her hand, a victorious smile upon her face. She jumps a little in celebration and steps over the piles of clothes, shoving the doors closed.

"You really should clean that up Lu-Lu." She says with a sparkle in her eyes. I shrug and set my coffee mug down. I stand up from my chair and stretch my arms above my head, twisting them and bending them down. I feel and hear my back crack in at least four different places. I stay in that position for a moment with my eyes closed and I hear Lissana chuckle.

"Sitting at a desk all day really can't be good for you." she says. I move my arms back to my side, my too-long sweater falling back into place, and wave her off.

"I go jogging every other day, I'll be fine."

"I'm not talking about your weight Lucy." I turn around, worried by the use of my full name. I straighten out her skirt, which was skewed due to putting the tights under without taking it off,

"Don't bother yourself with it. I just need to meet this deadline and then I'll be out and about just like before. I'm just stuck with how to end this one scene." I say as I start nitpicking lint off of her sweater. She gently smacks my hand away and walks over to my laptop.

"Here, let me read it. I can help." I bump her hip with mine and shut the laptop.

"Ah ah, you've got a date tonight. I'm not gonna be your excuse to miss your date with Bickslow. You've been waiting for him to ask you out since Sophomore year, and you're not backing out now." I say. Her shoulders slump and she sticks her tongue out at me. I turn her by her shoulders and push her out of the dorm. She turns and casts a quick smile before hugging me and heading down the hallway.

"Wait up for me!" she calls over her shoulder. I laugh and call

"Of course!" I walk back over to my desk and sit for about two seconds before there's a loud knocking on my door, followed by a

"Lucy, open the door! We're going to a party!" I sigh and slide over to the door while I'm in my chair. I pull it open and Cana takes in my current position. She grabs the back of it and pushes me out of the way, Erza following closely behind her. The scarlet-haired beauty takes in my state of dress and shakes her head.

"DId you even leave your room today?" she asks. I bristle slightly and lift my chin.

"Yes, in fact I did. I walked to the vending machine down the hall and bought some pocky." I say indignantly. Cana laughs.

"Let me guess, Strawberry?"

"I'll have you know that strawberry and strawberry flavoured foods are some serious food for thought. And I need all the help I can get today." I bow my head at that last part, remembering my upcoming deadline. Levy has been really nice so far, and she's an amazing editor, but she can get really scary if I miss a deadline by even a minute. One time I sent her a chapter at four a.m the day after the deadline, and the scolding I got from her was nightmare-inducing.

"Writer's block?" Erza asks as she pulls open my laptop and types in my password. Cana opens my closet and squeals as the piles of clothes that Lissana shoved in there fall out at her feet. She looks down and gently nudges one of the piles with her foot.

"Huh, Lissana really wasn't joking when she said beware of the closet. You should go through this Lucy, maybe give some of these old clothes to a friend. A really close friend." She bends down and picks up one of my shorter tops and holds it up to her torso.

"Maybe a really old, close friend that's your size." I laugh at her and say

"You can have it. I'm never gonna have anywhere to wear it to at the rate that my social life is depleting." Cana smiles at me and pats my head sympathetically.

"See Erza, I told you tonight was the perfect night to take her out! She needs a break from being cooped up in this room. I think all of the coffee fumes are going to her head." Erza looks up from my computer and nods.

"You were right. This ending is completely choppy, decidedly not what an editor will want from an aspiring writer." I slam my head down onto my desk and groan.

"Thanks Erza, that's all the inspiration I need." She chuckles nervously as I continuously bang my head on the desk. Cana calls from the bathroom

"Careful not to lose any of those braincells, I don't think the publishing company wants an incompetent author on their payroll." I groan again but realize that she's right, so I stop myself from doing it again. Cana walks back out with her 'new' shirt on. She pulls at the hem for a moment before holding her arms out to the side and doing a short spin. I tilt my head on the desk so that I can look at her fully.

"What do you think?" she asks while striking a pose. Erza tilts her head and says

"You look like your breasts haven't come in yet." I let out a short laugh while Cana pouts.

"That's just because Lucy stretched it out with her stupid boobs."

"I didn't stretch anything out! I even bought one size bigger in order to fit my boobs!" I pout as I cross my arms over my chest. Cana shrugs and pulls the shirt over her head, tossing it at my face. I pull the shirt down and throw it at Erza as Cana goes back to digging through my clothes.

"Anyway, we definitely need to get you out of this room. You're going to go stir crazy." Erza exclaims as she falls onto Lissana's un-made bed.

"I can't. My deadline is midnight tomorrow, and I need to finish this scene." I say, turning back to my laptop. It's shut and scooped up by the still shirtless Cana.

"You are not going to get any inspiration by sitting here and staring at this. You'll probably spend your time re-reading and rewriting it, even though it's probably perfectly fine as is. You need to get dressed, show some skin, get raging drunk, and then crash. Then you can work through your wonderfully aching hangover."

"As enticing as that sounds, I think I'll pass." I say sourly. Erza sits up rigidly on the bed and exclaims

"I'm ordering you to go out with us tonight!" I sweatdrop, knowing that she's serious, and resign myself to the fact that I'll probably miss my deadline. I stand from my chair and grab my phone from Lissana's dresser. I send her a quick text letting her know that I'll be going out, and then I let Erza and Cana drag me into the bathroom with stacks of clothes following close behind.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Fairy Tail is not mine, and all characters belong to Hiro Mashima. All I own is a plot line and lack of a social life**

Soon enough my troubles are forgotten as all three of us try on piece after piece of my clothing. Erza makes sure that she doesn't miss a single dress of mine, posing ridiculously as each one settles. I can't help but laugh when Cana gets one of my old sweatshirts caught over her head.

"This is way too much fabric. This thing would swallow you whole." She cries as erza untangles her from the drawstrings. I cross my arms defensively and pout.

"It's really good for snuggling into during late night movies." Cana covers her mouth with her hand and Erza pauses in the middle of pulling another dress off.

"That's really sad Lucy." Erza's voice is strained and I'm confused until the both burst into fits of giggles. I roll my eyes and bend to lift another shirt of mine from the random piles.

"Whatever. Just because both of you have had boyfriends before doesn't mean that my romantic life is lacking." I pull the shirt over my head and straighten my hair out. It's very much see-through and you can clearly see my starry bra underneath. I flip my hair and turn towards the girls as they collect themselves.

"Whatever floats your boat Lucy." Cana chuckles and pulls on an old jacket. She turns towards the mirror and studies herself as Erza finds the edge of a blue polka dotted dress.

"Do you think this shirt looks good on me?" She asks as she rearranges the fabric some. After playing with it for a moment she turns to me for judgement.

"Um, I think it's really cute. It's also a jacket." Cana rolls my eyes and walks over to Lissana's desk. She opens one of the drawers and pulls out a box of safety pins.

"How did you even know those were there?" I ask as she walks back over. She just laughs and sets the box on the counter as she starts pinning the front of the jacket closed. When she's finished she turns back to me and flips her hair over her shoulder.

"So, what do you think?" She says in a fake sultry voice, making a ridiculous face at us as she puckers her lips. Erza stops assessing herself in the mirror and places a hand to her chin as she thinks.

"It's suitable." She concludes. Cana lights up and claps her hands together.

"Alright girls. Finish up your makeup and hair, this is our final outfit." I roll my eyes as Erza blanches and turns back to the blue and white dress she had selected.

"Fine, I guess this will work." She says as she pulls her hair up into a ponytail and uses one of my ribbons as a tie. I fluff my hair once before following Cana out of the bathroom, not worrying about avoiding the piles.

"So, where are we going, again?" I ask. Cana looks back at Erza expectantly but she just shrugs.

"I thought you had a party for us to go to." Cana deflates and I drop onto my bed with my arms splayed out.

"So, what now?" Erza asks. My phone starts ringing before any of us can answer and Cana snatches it up.

"Hello." a short pause. "No, this is Lucy Heartfilia's phone." another pause and then Cana covers the mouth piece and turns to me.

"Do you know a Mirajane?" I shoot up straight on my bed and jump down, but Erza snatches the phone away before I can reach it.

"Mirajane Strauss?" She questions into the phone. A moment passes before a smile lights up Erza's face. She moves the phone away from her face and puts it on speaker.

"Erza Scarlet, it's been a while." Mira's bright voice enters the room.

"Yes it has. May I ask why you're calling Lucy?" Mira lets out a giggle before answering.

"I was just going to invite her to karaoke night at the publishing firm. We have a small bar-like area that we meet in, I'm sure she's been there. Besides, Levy mentioned something about Lucy and a red-headed friend enjoying a song or two at a party." Her voice takes on a slightly mischievous tone and I realize that I had forgotten to tell Erza about Levy having seen us sing.

"Yeah, but I don't know if we can-" I'm cut off by Cana slapping a hand over my mouth.

"We would love to come! What time does it start?"

"It's already started, but the crowd picks up around 6, so come over any time if good for you."

"We'll be there in 20." Erza says, finality in her tone. I lick Cana's hand and she pulls it away quickly to wipe it on her leggings.

"Perfect!" Mira chimes. "See you then!" And then the call goes dead. Erza hands my phone to me and smiles.

"Looks like we have a party to get to." She grabs my hand and starts dragging me out of the room as Cana follows behind shouting in joy.

We get to the the parking lot and Cana pulls us to a stop. "Guys, what car are we going to take?" My mood plummets as I remember our travel situation. None of us have a car. Cana looks between the two of us and then shakes her head. She pulls her phone out of her shirt and dials a number. In moments shes mumbling low into the phone.

"Thanks dad!" She finally calls as she hangs up. She grabs both of our arms and drags us towards a slick black car. She pulls a car key out of her shirt and unlocks it.

"Do you just keep Gildarts car key on you at all times?" Erza asks as Cana slides into the drivers seat. She nods and I slip into shotgun. Erza sighs and shuts the door behind her. As soon as the door is closed Cana whips backwards out of the spot and towards the exit of the campus.

As I clutch the handle next to the window Cana casts me a cheeky grin and asks "So where is this place again?" I hear Erza laugh behind us and I can't help but feel excited about whatever adventure we had just started.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Neither Fairy Tail nor it's characters are mine. If they were we would not be crying this much. Thanks Hiro Mashima.**

We arrived in the parking lot of the company almost fifteen minutes later and our laughter erupts from the car as we step out. I watch as Erza looks in horror at Cana as she shuts the car door.

"You cut off a semi. Going fifteen miles above the speed limit. On a four lane highway." She says, still a bit shell-shocked. Cana rolls her eyes and grabs Erza's wrist as we start walking towards the entrance of the 9 story building. Laughter trailed behind us as Cana and Erza continued their banter from the drive here. I push in the huge wooden doors with a symbol of the company being bisected.

I walk into the spacious hall with the beautiful white tiled floor and pause to wait for Cana and Erza to stop arguing. As soon as the door swings shut behind them, silence echos off of the ridiculously tall ceiling. I turn to see Cana gaping at the huge room while Erza sancs the room with a look of impressed approval upon her face.

"So, this is where you work?" Erza asks.

"Why didn't you bring us here sooner?" Cana exclaims before I can answer. I laugh a little as I lead the two towards the elevators. As we step in Cana gawks at the amount of floors to choose from.

"Okay, Wise One, which floor?" She asks. I giggle as I press the button for the seventh floor. When we began our ascent Erza turns to me and starts with her questions.

"So, you've told us virtually nothing about the people that work here with you. Who should we expect to see here tonight? Anyone we should avoid? Anyone we already know?"

I shrug as I answer all of her questions. "I don't know who is gonna be here, I haven't met that many of the workers here. I only really know Levy and Mirajane. I met Mr. Dreyar when I first joined, but I don't see much of him now. I don't think you should avoid anyone, except this one cafeteria worker named Loke, he flirts with anyone in a skirt." Cana nods to herself as the elevator comes to a stop and we step out.

She leads the way as we walk into a huge room filled with more people than I've ever seen in the building at once. A white-haired man who shares a stunning resemblance to Mira is on a large stage towards the back of the room, and Mira herself is behind the bar, serving drinks and food to whoever is nearest.

We make our way over through the crowds and once we reach the bar Mira turns to us and flashes a dazzling smile.

"Lucy!" her voice chimes like a bell, "I'm so glad you could finally make it." She turns her head and searches the room while she continues. "I'm sure I saw Levy around here just a moment ago. She probably got pulled away by Jet and Droy, though." As she says their names I recall the image of two boys that tend to hang around Levy whenever we had an in person meeting. They were editors too, but they enjoyed spending time with the small bluenette whenever they weren't in meetings themselves.

"Oh, I see her! She's right over there." Mira says as she gestures before quickly getting another drink prepared for a young man sitting at the bar. Cana plops ungracefully onto one of the stools and calls for the strongest thing they have on tap. Mira laughs as Era begins to scold Cana, but Cana just grins as she starts to drink whatever was in the mug Mira had sat before her.

I leave Erza and Mira as they start talking about the time that had passed since they last met and walk over to Levy. She is animatedly listening to whatever story Jet was telling her, but as soon as she spots me she jumps up and wraps me in a tight hug.

"Lu-chan! Mira said you were coming, but I wasn't sure!" As she lets me go she turns back to the two boys. "You already know Jet and Droy." She says as she drags me into the seat next to her. I nod and smile at the two.

"Hello." They both smile and nod back, waiting for Levy's undivided attention once more. Levy started chattering about this amazing book that she found the other day, but in the middle of describing the plot a black-haired boy is thrown onto our table. I squeal and jump back from my seat, nearly falling, but Levy just sighs as the boy stands on the table, fists by his side.

"Sorry about that Levy. The pyro is at it again." He calls behind him. Before I can ask what's going on, a pink-haired boy emerges from the crowd.

"Oi! I'm not doing anything! You started it by being stupid!" He shouts. The black-haired boy jjumps off of the table and gets in the others face.

"You're the stupid one, you idiotic pyro!"

"Ice Princess!"

"Soot brains!"

" _Enough_." A chilling voice that I would recognize anywhere interrupts their shouting and the two boys turn towards Erza's terrifying form.

"E-erza!" Both boys stutter. She walks over to them, eyes narrowed.

"I didn't know you were going to be here." The black-haired one exclaims.

"That doesn't excuse your fighting, Gray." She scolds. Gray drops his head but the other boy grins at her.

"Erza! Fight me!" To my horror, his words are followed by launching himself at her, fists at the ready. Erza knocks him aside with one arm and he flies into the crowd.

"Enough foolishness Natsu. I came here with a friend, not to break up your stupid fights." She says. Gray looks back up at her.

"What friend?" Erza turns to me and Gray follows her lead. He recognizes me as the girl he almost landed on and puts out his hand to shake mine.

"Sorry about earlier, I'm Gray Fullbuster. I'm a publisher here." I extend my hand to meet his, but before I can he is shoved out of the way by the pinkette.

"Forget about ice prick, I'm Natsu Dragneel, and I'm a much better publisher than him." His hand enveloped mine and all I can think of is how warm it is.

"I'm Lucy. I'm a writer." I turn to look at Levy, who is back to her conversation with Jet. "Levy is my editor." He smiles at me, and I can't help but grin back. Gray shoves him aside and my hand is empty for only a moment before his icy cool hand is holding it.

"It's nice to meet you. Who's your publisher here?" He asks. I tilt my head to the side and respond with

"Mr. Dreyar is the only publisher I've met with here." Gray's eyes go wide as Natsu laughs.

"You must be good. Laxus only meets with the best." I try my best to contain my blush, but to no avail. Gray lets go of my hand and shoves his own in his pockets. I blush even more and avert my gaze as I stutter out a

"Um, G-gray. You don't have a shirt on." He look down in shock and curses as he turns and dives into the crowd. Natsu laughs at him and calls him an idiot stripper. Gray is about to retaliate, but Erza's stare stops him.

"So, Erza." I start as I turn towards my red-head friend. "How do you know Gray and Natsu?"

"We're childhood friends." She answers simply. I nod and turn towards the stage as a hush settles throughout the room. The tall white-haired boy, who I now know is most definitely related to Mira, stands in front of the microphone as he waits for complete silence. After a moment, he speaks in a voice so low that Mira's giggle seems like a sound barely detectable to humans.

"And now, Ladies and Gentlemen, an original song written and performed by our very own Mirajane." The whole room erupted into a synchronous applause as the fair-haired beauty stepped up to the microphone. Silence fell once more as pure magic spilled out in her words, her voice acting as a siren spell on everyone in the room.

Somehow, my eyes met shockingly black eyes across the room, and the loud-mouthed pinkette named Natsu gave me a crooked smile that made my heart melt and my own smile grow.

 **Guest (Halo): I'm glad you enjoy the story! I'm sorry to say that as of right now I don't have an actual updating schedule, I just update as soon as the next chapter is finished. And as for how this story is ending, I'm not quite sure. I have a few ideas of how I want it to end, but nothing concrete. Also, I'm hoping the story should be picking up from this chapter on. The first three were serving as my introduction and filler as I didn't want to rush any of the chapters and make the story less interesting. Thank you for your wonderful review, and I hope you like whatever this turns into!**

 **Guest (Chap3): I'm glad you like it, and sorry my updates are so sporadic! #/.\\#**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's note: Sorry for taking so long to update! I'm going to try to stick to a much stricter schedule from now on!**

A few hours has passed since Mira's hypnotic performance, and I've spent every moment meeting someone else that works alongside me at Fairy Tail. Cana has spent the last half of the night challenging people to drinking contests, but no one has been foolish enough to accept.

As I continue my conversation with the metal-filled Gajeel I see Erza breaking up another fight out of the corner of my eye. Gajeel turns to look as Natsu throws yet another punch at a coworker that I haven't met. It lands and the other person goes flying. Gajeel sighs and shakes his head at the scene.

"Does he do that a lot?" I ask.

"Salamander is always starting fights with people. Doesn't know when to call it a night." When he finishes speaking Levy runs up and grabs his arm. She starts tugging on it, rambling about some dance that she wanted him to do with her. He sent me a pleading look but I just shrugged as the tall boy was dragged into the constantly moving crowd, knowing that the petite girl had a way of getting whatever she wanted from her boyfriend.

Before I could stop to think of what I wanted to do next, Gray came up and handed me a mug with foam spilling over the rim.

"Here, to say sorry for almost falling on you before." I accepted it with a smile and took a sip. A bitter taste exploded in my mouth and I had to hold back a grimace. Gray laughs at my expression and says

"Yeah, it's a bit strong here. We only have a few regular brews on tap. Most of our drinks are made by some guy named Bacchus. His brand isn't that big, but we like it. Most of the time." I nod, taking a mental note of the name.

"Isn't Bacchus the greek god of wine?" I ask. Gray just smiles in response and tips his mug back against his lips, draining it. He slams it down on the table next to us and I can't help but laugh.

"So Lucy, how come you haven't come to one of our parties before this?" He asks me.

"Well, I'm in my senior year of college, so I don't have a lot of time to spend partying. But i graduate this spring." I explain, crossing my arms over my chest, being cautious of the drink as some of it tips over the edge when I move.

"You're in Uni? Where at?"

"MU, why?" Gray's smile grows in response.

"I'm in my senior year there too. How come I've never seen you around campus?"

"Oh, between studying and writing, I almost never leave my room!" Gray's eyes shift to something over my shoulder, but before I can investigate a certain brunette drapes one arm over my shoulder.

"It's true! Me, Erza, and Lissana have to drag her out of there at least once a month or else she starts going stir-crazy. It's awful, Gray. She's wasting her youth!" she slurs. I roll my eyes at her antics as Gray chuckles.

"Oh, don't worry Cana, I'm sure you're exploiting your youth enough for both of you." Cana slides her arm off of me as she takes a step closer to Gray, one finger pointing right at his nose.

"Are you trying to insin-insin- are you trying to be a smartass Fullbuster?" Gray sighs as he gently wraps one hand around her wrist.

"How much have you had to drink Alberona?" She scoffs.

"Today or since I got here?" I go pale.

"Um, Cana, didn't you drive us here?" She looks at me with a wide grin and nods.

"What, getting on the highway makes me nervous." I feel a bead of sweat roll down my head as Cana hiccups and turns back to the black-haired boy before her. He rolls his eyes and says

"Knock it off, I know you only drive sober." She shrugs and starts walking back to the bar. Gray follows after her, still holding onto her wrist. I hear him shout something akin to

"Alberona don't chug that!" before someone runs into my back. I stumble forward until a strong arm wraps around my waist.

"I'm sorry. I usually try not to hit beautiful things, but I was stunned by your brilliance." I turn my head to see a head full of spiked-up orange hair. I groan a little bit, not wanting to deal with the infamous flirt. Luckily, it seems that my prayer had been answered when a fist connected with Loke's face, sending him back onto his butt.

A certain pinkette was standing in front of him, a small glare on his face.

"Didn't Mira tell you to stop flirting with everyone?" Loke mumbled something under his breath as he stood and sulked away.

"Thanks for that." I say. Natsu turns and grins at me and replies with

"No problem Luigi!" I feel a tick mark form on my forehead as I shout

"My name is Lucy!" But before I can get really mad, he grabs my hand and pulls me over to where Mirajane is standing behind the bar.

"Hello Natsu, Lucy. What do you need?" she asks politely while setting a drink down in front of an old man in a brightly colored outfit.

"Lucy doesn't have her mark! She never got one!" Natsu says. Before I can ask what he means, the old man turns to me.

"Ah, so this is the Lucy Heartfillia that my grandson told me about. Makarov Dreyar, Vice president of the company." He extends his hand and I meet it, shaking it a little too hard as I get caught up in my excitement.

"Old man! Lucy needs a fairy tail mark, she's been here long enough." I glance over at him with curiosity filling my mind.

"How do you know how long I've been here?" I blurt out. He grins at me and says

"Well that's easy, I see you around Levy's office all the time!" I feel a small blush creep onto my face until Mira interrupts.

"Well, it has been a few months. I think she's ready."

"Ready for what? What's the fairy tail mark?" I ask. Mira grins at me and points to Natsu's arm. I look and notice a black tattoo residing there. As I look around the room, I notice that everyone's got an identical mark somewhere on their person.

"Employees have to get matching tattoos?" I ask. Mira laughs and I'm briefly reminded of wind chimes.

"It's not required, but most employees want one. It represents the Fairy Tail family, and it shows your loyalty to the people that you share the mark with." Makarov explains.

I turn to stare at the mark on Natsu's arm, trying to figure out what it was. After a few moments it dawns on me and I look at Mira with a shocked look donning my features.

"It's a fairy?" Mira nods. "Do fairies have tails?" I ask. Makarov laughs and answers with

"Do fairies even exist? Nobody knows for sure. So this…" he pauses as he searches for a word to encompass all of the wonderfully odd people I'd met.

"Guild." I blurt. I blushed, feeling embarrassed, but he nods.

"I like that. This guild is like them. An eternal mystery, an eternal adventure." I can't stop the smile that spreads across my face as I turn back to the barmaid.

"I'm ready for my mark." She nods and steps out from behind the counter. She leads me to a door right next to the kitchen and I see everything needed for tattooing.

My eyebrows shoot up and Mira chuckles.

"I'm the best tattoo artist in Fairy Tail. Now, where do you want it, and what color." A certain smile comes to mind as I set my right hand on the small table and say

"Make it pink."

 **QueenVictoriaXIV:** Sorry for taking so long to answer, but the only decided pairings so far are Nalu, Gale, and Jerza. If you have any ideas for what other ships should make an appearance, let me know!


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